Do Not Give Up
What are you going to do with the one life you've been given?
Viktor Frankl referred to a behavior pattern that he witnessed in concentration camps called “give-up-itis.” He said,
“This behavior was paralleled by those who one morning, at five, refused to get up and go to work and instead stayed in the hut, on the straw wet with urine and feces. Nothing -neither warnings nor threats could induce them to change their minds. And then something typical occurred: they took out a cigarette from deep down in a pocket where they had hidden it and started smoking. At that moment we knew that for the next forty-eight hours or so we would watch them dying.”1
It’s hard to blame anyone for giving up hope in these horrific circumstances. No one would be immune from this. But here’s the big question for you as you read this today:
Do you have “give-up-itis”?
Have you decided that this is as good as it gets…that you just need to muddle through, sleep-walk through life, work your job, watch TV, and numb out with alcohol or your drug of choice…all the while living a life of quiet desperation? Have you stopped asking big life questions because the answers are too painful and you just get disappointed in the end?
Have you stopped asking big life questions because the answers are too painful and you just get disappointed in the end?
Wow Tarek, thanks for the downer message! Hey, I’m just getting real with you because I’ve struggled in this pit and will again. I want to give you hope that you don’t have to stay down there.
It will require action on your part. You must get the car moving first so you can make adjustments along the way. Here are some ideas for you to move out of “give-up-itis” mode into a more hope-filled life:
Do something new/try something hard. I don’t mean a little bit hard, I mean really hard. Sign up for a 5K and train for it. Train for a 50-mile bike ride. I’m going to try rucking.2 Doing new and hard things actually changes your brain.3
Serve others. This theme comes up a lot in this space. I keep repeating it because it absolutely works. If you see someone in need, meet that need. If someone comes to mind, send them a voice text. Making a difference for others gives you hope. A young lady served me and saved this blog by letting me know I was leaving my iPad behind on the airplane a few weeks ago!
Read one book that will stretch your mind. It doesn’t have to be the 720-page “Crime and Punishment” by Fyodor Dostoyevsky (although it’s on my list). Go to the Amazon bestseller list and pick one. Fiction or non-fiction. Underline any ideas that you need to think about further.
Journal your thoughts. Write down the good stuff and the hard stuff. As a person of faith, I talk to God and tell Him where I’m struggling and where I’m feeling hopeful. One thing I’m working on is being silent and giving myself space to think. Even if just for 10 minutes per day.
There are really hard things going on in the world. I know you’re aware of them. If you’re reading this, more than likely you’re not in a life-and-death situation each day like many are.
What are you going to do with the one life you’ve been given?
Kick “give-up-itis” to the curb. Decide you’re not living that way anymore. TODAY is the day your life can change. Take action. Live your life on purpose. I’m cheering for you. Make it an outstanding week!
Thanks for stretching us coach!
crime and punishment is totally worth the read! I promise you, you'll love it! (Giant asterisk; I write fiction and was a Lit major and went to an MFA so I'm "that guy" but I swear this book is not just accessible, but timelessly poignant)